Automobile bed



April 25, 1933.

J. L. RICHARDSON 1,905,605

AUTOMOBILE BED Filed June l5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l iwal@ y April 25, 1933. J. l.. RICHARDSON 1,905,605

AUTOMOBILE BED Filed June 15, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 2 m Wm/fm Patented Apr. 25, 1933 si! TENT FFICE JOSEPH L. RICHARDSON, F` .NASHVILLE ARKANSAS AUTOMOBILE Ben Application led June 15, 1929. Serial No. 371,191.

This invention relates to improvements in automobile beds and has more particular reference to a convertible seat construction for motor vehicles, whereby the seat cushions and back rests of the motorvehicle may be positioned to form a horizontal bed bottom of several different sizes Vto suit various needs and is an improvement over my prior Patents 1,714,891 and 1,715,308, issued to me respectively May 28th, 1929. f One of the primary objects of the present invention is the provision of a novel arrangement of the vehicle seat backs and cushions and supports therefor, whereby the same may be so disposed as to form a horizontal bed bottom of diHerent sizes to suit various con-k v Y tive viewillustrating the connectionof the ditions and needs. y

A further important object of my invention is to provide an improved automobile bed construction of the above character, which is extremely simple and durable in construction as well as efficient in operation and wherein the conversion of the seats into a horizontal bed bottoni may be efectedwitheX- treme facility and lease. A Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more specifically described,Y

claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings :L y

Figure l is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a motor vehicle body of the sedan type having seats constructed in accordance with the presentinvention,with the seatvcushions and back rests of the seats normally positioned to provide the rear seats of Vthe vehicle;

FigureV 2is a fragmentary transverse section through the sedan body showing the improved front seat in rear elevation, the sec-` ion being taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of .45 the front seat frame or base with the cushions and back removed; Y v v Figure 4 is a fragmentary 'detail perspective view of the front Vseat base or frame with.

the cushions and back removed; i 59 front and Figure 5 a fragmentary detail' perspec:

tive view of the lower `corner of one'rfront seat back; f

Figure 6 is a fragmentary transverse section through the vehicle" body showing the rear seat back in sidel elevation, the section being taken on theline 6 6 of Figure 1. looking in thedirection of the arrows; f

`Figure 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the vehicle body showing the seat cushionsr and back arranged to form the bed bottom;

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail4 sectional kview illustrating the means of associating the front seat back with the front seat'base to form the bed bottom;

. Figure 9 is a detail fragmentary perspecsp'ectively doors l1, and-16. -As well knownjin the art,

motor vehicles oyfthis typeare provided with n permanent side wall portions 12=at theV sides had through the ffront, ,and rear ofthe rear seat and rearwardly "of therear Ydoors 16, while permanentfpillar's "or posts 13 arefp ovided atthe sides ofthe frontseat between the doors ll'and 16.`

As shown, each seat of the vehicle embodies a relatively short or low built hollow supportingjbase 14, which is rigidly. secured upon the floor ofthey vehicle body and is of such al 'size as to extendfrom side to side of the latter.l

1 Two'seat cushions 17 are provided forboth the front and rear seats, beingremovably supported by ledges or flanges 18 of the bases,

as clearly shown in Figure 1y of the drawings.

VThe flanges 18 are arranged rearwardly at a downwardv inclination so that the pairs of cushions 17 and 19 are n ormally disposed in a rearwardly inclined position -for insuring maximum the seats,

comfort t0. the persons occupying Secured to the bottom of the front seat base 14 at the rear thereof are pairs of sockets 2O for a purpose which will be later described. The front seat also includes a pair of seat backs 21 which are normally arranged in side by side relation in close contact with one another at their meeting edges to provide a substantially single back rest and the lower ends lof the back rests are provided each with a pair of depending cone or wedge shaped pins or standards 22 which are rearwardly angled at their lower ends, as clearly shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. The pins or standards 22 are adapted to be snugly received within the sockets 20 for removably securing the pair of back rests'21 in position, when the seat cushions 17 are placed in operative position. l

In vview of the above construction it will be-seen that the front seat back rests 21 may be removed by displacing the pair of seat cushions 17 and then simply lifting the back rests 21 upwardly and forwardly until the standards or pins 22 are disengaged from the sockets or keepers 20, while a'mere reversal of this operation will result in operatively positioning the back rests 21 for seating purposes. i Y a 'The rear seat base v14 is spaced from the rear wall of the body A and directly inl rear ofthe rear seat base 14 is disposed a pair of transversely extending'ielatively heavy leaf springs 23 which form means for supporting the pair of rear back rests 24 in an elevated i position. Between the rear pair'of back rests 24 are preferably arranged clothes compartments 25 and one of the shelves thereof can be provided withV keepers 26 arranged in pairs for each back rest 24. The rearv'face l of each backrest 24 carries rigid latches 27 which are normally urged by the springs 23 into engagement with their respective keepers 26. Forward and upward movement of therear 'back rests'24 is prevented by the interengagement of the latches 27 withftheir keepers2. L

vThen itis desired to removeone or both of the back rests4 24 of the rear. seat, it is merely necessary to push down lontlie back rests 24 againstthe tension of the leaf springs 23, which will disengage the companion latches 27 from the keepers 26 and upon forward swinging movement of tlie'ba'ck rests, the same can be removed.

The Vback rests 24 form apart ofthe bied bottom and in front of the rear seat and in` reary of they front seat I provide a transversely extending foot restf28 which terminates substantially in the sameplaneasv the upperedge of the base 14 for the rear seat and this foot rest formsY a support for the rear back rests24 when the same-are usedfor part vof jthe bed-bottom.

' With the Seat dubieus aussen-bada 91?" 24 and sliding one section 19 of the rear seat cushion rearwardly and placing one edge of the back rest 24 on the foot rest 28 and the other edge on the rear base 14a childs bed' and one seat in rear and two seats in front is formed. By removing one back rest 21 ofV the front seat on the same side of the car that has the back rest already removed and by sliding one section of the seat cushion 17 rearwardly and by placing the standards or pins 22 in the front sockets 29 formed in the lianges 18 and cross bars 18, one single full length bed is provided on one side of the carv p.

and one seat in rear and the drivers seat lin front. By removing the other section of the rear cushion 19 and back rest 24, one single adult bed is provided and a childs bed and a drivers seat is given. By removing the cushion and back rest of the drivers seat, a full size bed is'provided. By leaving the cushions and the back rests of the front seat in normal -operative position, both sections of thecushion and back rests of the rear seat can be converted into a bed, making ample room for several children andretaining seats fortwo or three persons in front. From the foregoing description, it can be seenthat I have provided a novel arrange'- ineiit of seat cushions and backs for forming a variety of different*characters of beds and seats. IVhile the structure has been shown a closed vehicle body of Athe sedan type, itis to bev understood that the same can be employed in a closed vehicle body of the coach type.v Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention., but 1 t What I claim as new is:

VIn a structure of the class described, a vehicle body, spaced front and rear bases within the body and having spaced front and rear walls defining intervening recesses, seat cushions in said recesses and movable to rest on the rearvwalls of said bases, a removable back-cushion mounted at the rear of said rear base and :adapted to rest on the' front wallof the rear base between the said seat cushions, a foot rest between the -front ,and rear bases and forming a support for the forward portion of the removable back, when the removableba'ck is positioned between sai-d cushions, a removable back for thev front seatcushion and having attaching elements provided with angularly extending terminal portions, and socket members for engagement by the angularly extending terminal portions of saidv at taching elements,'said4back for the front seat cushion being adapted to rest on-the front Vwall of thefront base to forma. head rest,

tlflere being means associated with the front base for sliding engagement bythe angularly extending terminal portions of said attaching elements allowing said angularly extending terminal portions to have pressure Contact with the seat cushion of the front base.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH L. RICHARDSON. 

